Art historian calls for an independent review, highlighting the masterpiece’s immense value to Philippine history and modern art.
The proposed permanent transfer of Carlos “Botong” Francisco’s “Kalantiao at Lubluban” to Singapore is facing opposition, with Filipino art historian Geronimo Cristobal urging cultural authorities to keep the National Artist’s 1946 painting protected.
Cristobal, a PhD candidate in the History of Art and Archaeology at Cornell University and former art history teacher at Ateneo de Manila University, publicly opposed the petition seeking to remove the painting’s presumption as an Important Cultural Property (ICP).